


Redemption

by A_Cloudy_Day_In_AU_Hell



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: "why is this guy forgiving me??? I don't deserve this???", Angst, Bede has a panic attack, I have no idea how to tag, Implied/Referenced Neglect, Rose is Bede's adopted dad don't @ me, being Bede is suffering, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-09
Updated: 2020-02-09
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:15:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22623148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_Cloudy_Day_In_AU_Hell/pseuds/A_Cloudy_Day_In_AU_Hell
Summary: Bede has a lot of thoughts and a lot of regrets, but maybe helping Hop and Gloria save the region will be an adequate beginning to reconciliation.TW: Bede has a panic attack
Comments: 1
Kudos: 40





	Redemption

**Author's Note:**

> Again TW Bede does have a panic attack so if that sets you off please don't read this. I just wanted to write more Bede, so here's this lol

"Wait!" Bede shouts as he runs after his rivals. He must look an absolute fool, but at the moment, he really doesn't care. The two of them turn around with differing expressions on their faces; Hop looks about ready to pummel him, and Gloria looks curious as to why Bede is stopping them.

"Bede, we don't have time for your nonsense right now!" Hop snaps, crossing his arms. Gloria opens her mouth to speak, but Bede replies before she can.

"I know that," he says, then pauses to try and find the words he's looking for. Hop rolls his eyes and is about to run off when Bede finally speaks up again. "Look, Hop, I...I'm sorry for what I said. Back in the Wild Area?" That's enough to get Hop to turn back around, eyebrow quirked. He looks expectant, so Bede takes a deep breath and continues. "I...wasn't in the best state of mind then. For my entire Gym Challenge, actually. Longer than that." He shakes his head and continues. "The Chai--my father isn't the best man, and after Stow-On-Side, I realized that. So for anything I may have said to you or Gloria that hurt you, I am truly and deeply sorry." Something hot and wet finds its way onto Bede's uniform, and he realizes that he's been crying. Hop's expression hasn't entirely softened, but at least he doesn't seem like he wants to rip Bede apart. Gloria, on the other hand, looks about ready to melt and the shock of that nearly kills him. _How can someone who's about to march straight into the monster's lair be so...soft? Empathetic?_

She goes in to hug him. "Oh, Bede..." she says quietly, and yet what the words lack in volume they more than make up for in emotion. The embrace is quick and tight and though Bede feels it is completely undeserved, it gives him a little more strength, a little more confidence.

Recently, Bede had found that that wasn't quite an uncommon thing for hugs to do, even if they were uncommon for him to receive.

After Gloria pulls away from Bede, she looks at Hop. "Come on, he wants to help. We could use an extra teammate."

Hop sighs. "I suppose you have a point," he concedes, then looks Bede in the eye. "Don't think we're all buddy-buddy, though. I still haven't forgotten what you said, and it put me back a lot. Apologies don't change the past."

"I--"

"But." The corners of Hop's mouth twitch upwards for the tiniest little second. "Apologizing and trying to fix things is definitely something new out of you, mate. Cheers to that."

Bede could hardly believe who he was hearing this from. He'd been a monster to Hop, and yet the boy was willing to give him a second chance? What kind of madness had the world come to?! "L-let's just get on with this," he sputtered, looking away from Hop and Gloria.

He could swear he hears a snicker from one of them, but says nothing about it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After a ridiculous amount of traipsing through the woods--thank Arceus all of his gear is stain-resistant, otherwise Opal would skin him alive when he got back--picking up a couple of rusted artifacts that Hop and Gloria are _convinced_ will help them defeat Eternatus somehow, and discovering that the Chairman's defenses can be breached by a mere Yamper, Bede steels himself. This is it. This is where he shows his father that he's not just some useless orphan.

This is where Bede proves to himself that he's good enough, strong enough, _enough_.

The Chairman stops the three children before the lift. "Well, well. I will admit that I was expecting you, Gloria. Hop as well, seeing as Leon is his brother and all. But you?" The glare he shoots Bede nearly freezes the boy solid. He's focusing on his breaths-- _fast, too fast, I need to slow down_ \--rather than what Rose is saying, but he still catches certain words. "Spoiled...bratty... _useless_..." _No...not in front of them..._ The words don't help anything at all, and everyone's voices are starting to drift further and further away as he spirals into his own head--

"BEDE!"

A shout snaps him out of his panic attack and back into reality, and after a second he jerks his arm away from Hop, who had grabbed it tightly. To anchor him? Bede can't help but consider that Hop may be more familiar with panic attacks than he'd first thought. "S-sorry," he chokes out. He squeezes his eyes shut, shakes his head, and looks to Hop and Gloria. "I'll handle the Chairman. You two go on ahead and help Leon."

Gloria doesn't look so sure, and Bede doesn't blame her a bit for it. "You sure? No offense, but you're not looking--"

Bede snorts harshly and glares at the Chairman. "Afraid that doesn't really matter. This is personal," he replies before looking back at the other two. "I can take care of myself."

And the thing that surprises him is how Hop looks at him--genuine concern fills his eyes, and he looks torn for a moment. Preposterous, really. His brother or the person who made him feel like complete and utter garbage for a good portion of his Gym Challenge? The choice should be obvious. And yet he hesitates before nodding.

"Steady on then, mate," he says, and then he and Gloria are gone.

Bede faces his opponent once again, mouth set in a hard line. He knows he's not in any fit shape emotionally to be fighting anyone, let alone Rose, but this is something he has to do. " _Father_ ," he says shortly. There's an edge to his voice that he doesn't even bother concealing.

The Chairman's face is unreadable, but Bede knows he's simmering behind his mask of composure. "I have told you time and time again, _Bede_ \--"

" _Yes, well, someone ought to take responsibility for my_ upbringing!"

Rose's facade falters for a moment, then he lets out a chuckle. "I see you are still unable to take responsibility for your own actions."

"As are you."

"Explain."

Bede's honestly surprised he's been able to hold his composure since Hop and Gloria left, but he does as he's told by the Chairman--as he's done almost his entire life. "You adopted me, but I was _nothing_ to you. Nothing more than an _expendable employee_. Sure, you'd keep up appearances with the public, but after the cameras went away?" Bede's voice cracked a little bit. "You'd remind me how I was--how I was _useless_. You never loved me. I was _never_ enough for you. But now?" Bede reached for Rapidash's pokeball. "I'm stronger now, and I'll show you that!"

And so they fought. It was an extremely uphill battle, as the Chairman's Pokemon were all Steel-type and Bede's were all Fairy-type. It was only because of Opal's training that he was able to pull through in the end. The father and son stood in awkward silence for a brief moment, then Bede scoffed and started working on healing his team up. Hattrene was the last one standing, and he made sure to give praise to it and every other member of his team. He was halfway through administering a Hyper Potion to Gardevoir when Rose finally spoke up.

"That was an incredible battle, Bede."

Bede freezes. He knows he shouldn't give the Chairman a second chance. He's had far too many as it is. But he remembers Hop and Gloria--mostly Hop, though--giving him a shot at redemption. _No, no, no, that's how this whole cycle goes on! Isn't it?_ Bede thinks, remembering something he'd read at one point or another, something Opal had probably intentionally left out for him to find, now that he thinks about it. That awkward silence falls around them again as Bede struggles to decide what he's going to say next. His father sighs heavily. "Of course you'd be wary of me," he says. "That is more than fair. I'm realizing now what a terrible father--overall person, really--I have been, and though I'm certain you won't believe me, I am sorry."

Bede gives a dry half-chuckle. "Apologies don't change the past, _father_ ," he replies with venom in his tone. He wants to make sure Rose knows exactly how he feels and exactly what he's done.

Rose winces. "Of course." He looks up at the shattered shell that Eternatus left behind with a pained expression. "The people of Galar, my own son...I said all of those things about the future and yet I didn't think about what should come first. Things that have been destroyed...can't have a future." Rose looks at Bede with weary eyes. "Thank you for that battle. It made me realize at least some of the things I've done wrong. I'm sure it won't atone for everything, but after this, I'm going to turn myself in. Make sure Oleana knows to set aside funds for rebuilding, there's sure to be plenty that needs to be fixed after this."

Bede turns away. He feels hot tears on his face. "You have a phone, don't you? Tell her herself," he replies, forcing his voice to stay level. He knows Rose had used him, and yet a part of him wants the man to stay. To be a father figure to him like he should have been in the first place.

Bede decides to shove that part of him deep down, along with those stupid tears. Crying and working things out could wait until this was over. "I'll hold you to that, though. Turning yourself in," he said without looking at Rose as he made his way to the lift to the roof.

Halfway up, something shakes the lift viciously. Bede thanks whatever divine power could be out there that nothing stops his ascent to help his new allies.

_Friends_ , he tells himself, _someday._ It's a vow to make things right, to make amends.

To redeem himself.

**Author's Note:**

> So! Thank you so much for reading this! I'll be honest, I absolutely hated Bede to begin with. I really only saw him as a stuck up, obnoxious prick of a rival that desperately needed to have the shit beaten out of him. And when he just sort of stripped all of Hop's self worth away from him, I hated him even more. Then he was abducted--I mean rescued by Opal and I was honestly shocked when he showed up at the League Cup. Like??? Excuse me??? Whomst do you think you are??? But hiS CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT CAN WE JUST DISCUSS THAT?! Like I went from wanting to knock him out to wanting to see more of him in the span of one encounter and the fact that there wasn't more Bede in the postgame is something I will die mad about.
> 
> Anyways! Thank you again for reading! I'm very open to suggestions, so if you've got anything that you want to see written, let me know(as long as it's sfw, of course)! 
> 
> Also! I finally figured out italics on this!! Yaaayyy!


End file.
